(City.com) This editorial by Claudio Marinelli and Yuri Andersson urges future British governments to commit to maintaining the country’s momentum as a global leader in quantum computing — the next and most exciting technological frontier.
It seems that quantum and (more specifically) the translation of this technology into commercial businesses — which can propel so many areas of the UK economy — was left out the major parties’ manifestos during the General Election.
The UK government was early to understand the importance of this technology and has committed more than a billion pounds to fund research in the field, Britain could fail to fully exploit the commercial potential of British-born quantum tech.
At least 19 quantum technology companies have secured funding or generated revenues in the UK. The Quantum Technology Enterprise Centre (QTEC) alone has enabled the creation of more than a third of these. It has acted as a successful accelerator for a total of 17 cutting-edge technology companies since 2017.
However, with other countries now committing increased investment and resources into this area, it is imperative that we collectively seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capitalise on research breakthroughs.
Marinelli and Andersson urge the new UK government and policymakers to continue to recognise the importance of investing to support British science and in particular its translation to commercial enterprises.
British Government Urged to Continue Investing In and Supporting Quantum Computing
